Substation Design

Design Document

Team Number
SDMAY19-17

Client
Burns & McDonnell

Faculty Advisor
Craig Rupp

Team Members
Jake Heiller
Rebecca Franzen
Tom Kelly
Riley O’Donnell
Connor Mislivec
Wilson Pietruszewski

Team Email
[email protected]

Team Website
https://sdmay19-17.sd.ece.iastate.edu/

Revised
11/30/2018 / Version 2.0
Table of Contents
1 Introduction 4
1.1 Acknowledgement 5
1.2 Problem and Project Statement 5
1.4 Intended Users and Uses 8
1.5 Assumptions and Limitations 8

2. Specifications and Analysis 10

2.1 Proposed Design 10
2.1.1 Grounding Design 10
2.1.2 Physical Design 17
2.1.3 Lightning Protection Design 20
2.2.1 Grounding Design 24
2.2.2 Physical Design 24

3 Testing and Implementation 26

3.1 Interface Specifications 26
3.2 Hardware and software 26
3.2.1 Grounding Design 27
3.2.2 Physical Design 27
3.2.3 Lightning Protection Design 27
3.3 Functional Testing 28
3.3.1 Grounding Design 28
3.3.2 Physical Design 28
3.4 Non-Functional Testing 29
3.5.1 Grounding Design 29
3.5.2 Physical Design 31
3.5.3 Lightning Protection Design 34
3.6 Results 34
3.6.1 Grounding Design 34
3.6.2 Physical Design 39

4 Closing Material 50
4.1 Conclusion 50
4.2 References 50
4.3 Appendices 50
List of Figures
Figure 1: Probe locations for Wenner 4-Point Method
Figure 2: RESAP Model for Cyclone Substation
Figure 3: Layer Characteristics of Soil Model for Cyclone Substation
Figure 4: Path of Least Resistance in a Substation
Figure 5: Safety Thresholds for Cyclone Substation
Figure 6: Termination Towers with H-Frames
Figure 7: Exposure Curve to Determine X/H
Figure 8: Initial Lightning Protection Design
Figure 9: Exposure Curve to Determine S/H
Figure 10: Optimized Lightning Protection Design
Figure 11: Plan View of Rigid and Strain Bus
Figure 12: Elevation View of Rigid and Strain Bus
Figure 13: Flow Diagram for Grounding Design
Figure 14: Flow Diagram for Physical Design
Figure 15: Touch Voltage Results with 50’x50’ spacing
Figure 16: Step Voltage Results with 50’x50’ spacing
Figure 17: Touch Potential Results with 30’x30’ Spacing Without Crushed Rock Layer
Figure 18: Touch Potential Results with 80’x80’ Spacing
Figure 19: Touch Voltage Results for 70’x70’ Spacing
Figure 20: Step Voltage Results for 70’x70’ Spacing
Figure 21: Impedance of Grounding System
Figure 22: First Draft of Plan-View
Figure 23: Approved Plan View
Figure 24: First Draft of Elevation A-A
Figure 25: First Draft of Elevation B-B
Figure 26: Approved Elevation A-A
Figure 27: Approved Elevation B-B
Figure 28: First Draft of Lightning Protection
Figure 29: Approved Lightning Protection

List of Tables
Table 1: List of resistivity values for Cyclone Substation
Table 2: Constants for the material at various values of fusing temperature
Table 3: Equipment List
Table 4: Changes Made to Plan View
Table 5: Changes Made to Elevation A-A
Table 6: Changes Made to Lightning Protection Diagram
List of Symbols

List of Definitions
IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
AC: Alternating Current
DC: Direct Current
SCADA: Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
RTU: Remote Terminal Unit
NIA: Networks, Integration, and Automation
1 Introduction
1.1 Acknowledgement
The Substation Design team would like to thank Grant Herrman, Abeer Hamzah, Thanh
Nguyen, Zach Porter, and Brian Obermeier, employees of Burns & McDonnell, for their
willingness to oversee this project and for serving the team as technical advisors. The
Substation Design team would also like to Craig Rupp, the faculty advisor for this project, for
serving the team as a technical and professional advisor.

1.2 Problem and Project Statement

While electric power transmitted a long distance has a high voltage which reduces power losses
as electricity flows from one location to another, it is unsafe to distribute electricity at such a
voltage directly to consumers. Similarly, though the production capabilities of electric power
generators vary, electric power generators are incapable of generating electric power at
voltages necessary to transmit that electric power long distances.

General Purpose
For this reason, substations are necessary throughout power grids. The primary function of a
substation is to raise or lower the voltage of the electric power flowing into the substation. The
main piece of equipment located at a substation is a power transformer. The transformer is an
electromagnetic apparatus capable of raising or lowering an input voltage. The power supply
voltage is scaled and then transmitted long distances or distributed to power consumers.

Substations also help to ensure the reliability of the power grid. Two other pieces of equipment
located at substations are circuit breakers and disconnect switches. This protective equipment
allows utilities to isolate electrical equipment from the rest of the power circuit/power grid in the
event of a fault.

General Problem Statement

Burns & McDonnell has tasked the Substation Design team with designing a new, 138/69
kilovolt (kV) substation that will not be built, but that could theoretically “be used as an
interconnection for a new wind generation plant near Ames, IA.”

General Solution Approach

The Substation Design team will need to do the following to complete this project:
1. Specifications:
Relay Panels – The Iowa State Senior Design team will create all relay panels including
protective relays.

2. Substation Layout:
The Iowa State Senior Design team will submit a substation layout—including substation
equipment, the control building, rigid bus, structures, and perimeter fence—based on the
most economical option, which allows for future expansion with maximum flexibility.

3. Bus and Insulator Sizing Design

The Iowa State Senior Design team will perform calculations using predicted fault levels
and weather criteria to establish the mechanical forces resulting at each of the
substation buses.

4. Ground grid
The Iowa State Senior Design team will utilize software provided by Burns & McDonnell
to design and analyze the grounding system. The grounding design will be consistent
with IEEE 80 techniques, using a combination of ground mat and rods for arriving at
acceptable step and touch potential limits and resistance to remote earth.

5. Raceway
The Iowa State Senior Design team will design a conduit plan using a combination of
surface trenches, subsurface conduits, and equipment riser conduits.

6. Control Building
The Iowa State Senior Design team will prepare control building equipment layout
drawings for the substation. The control building will be sized to accommodate the 125V
DC battery and charger, AC & DC panels, SCADA RTU and all protective relay panels
required for the initial installation.

7. 125V DC Station Battery Design

The Iowa State Senior Design team will develop a battery design for the substation using
IEEE 485 techniques. Loads will be sized, including future loads, for the sizing of
batteries, chargers, and panels used in the 125V DC system. The time period for a
station service outage will be considered when arriving at the required battery size.

The Iowa State Senior Design team will submit a report which:

i. Clearly summarizes the design requirements

ii. Defines the calculations used
iii. Summarizes the results and recommended battery design
8. Relaying and Controls
The Iowa State Senior Design team will generate a one-line diagram, one 69kV circuit
breaker schematic, one 138kV circuit breaker schematic, one-line relay schematic, and
the transformer schematics.

9. Lightning Protection
The Iowa State Senior Design team will evaluate and design lightning protection for
complete station protection against direct lightning strikes in accordance with IEEE STD
998-2012 Electro Geometric Model (EGM) using the empirical curves method.

The Iowa State Senior Design team will submit a report which:

i. Defines the calculations used in developing the layout of the lightning

Protection
ii. Clearly summarizes the orientation and protection results for each
grouping(s) of shielding electrodes
iii. Summarizes the failure rate of the substation
iv. Provides a recommended configuration of the shielding electrodes which
includes the maximum effective heights of the lightning masts and shield
wires.

10. Communications
The Iowa State Senior Design team will do the following:

i. Create a communications block diagram and design the substation

communications network using a combination of serial and ethernet
network equipment.
ii. Design microwave radio system for communications transport. This will
include frequency selection, tower sizing and placement.
iii. Provide equipment quotes and engineering cost estimate.
iv. Generate a SCADA points list from a provided template.
v. Configure the RTU and protective relays, as specified by the points list
and comm block diagram, to provide SCADA information to a remote
master station.
vi. Program a local HMI in the RTU to show an animated one line with real-
time values and an alarm annunciator.
vii. Program a remote EMS master using Kepware on Windows

1.3 Operational Environment

When engineers are designing a new substation that will be built, they must design it so that,
once built, it will remain functional when exposed to regional extreme temperatures and regional
extreme weather. Though the substation designed by the Substation Design team will not be
built, Burns & McDonnell still expects the Substation Design team to design a substation that
would remain functional if exposed to regional extreme temperatures and regional extreme
weather.

1.4 Intended Users and Uses

If the substation designed by the Substation Design team were to be built, the intended use of
the substation would be to raise the voltage of the electric power generated by wind turbines so
that that electric power could be injected into the power grid and distributed to electricity
consumers.

The intended user of the substation would be whichever utility owned it, as that utility would use
the substation to distribute more electric power to its customers. Electricity consumers would
benefit from the operation of the substation, though they would not technically be using it.

1.5 Assumptions and Limitations

Assumptions:
● A new substation in or near Ames, IA is needed
● A 138/69 kV power transformer should be located at the new substation
● The new substation should have a ring bus configuration

Limitations:
● The new substation would be built in or near Ames, IA
● The new substation must be designed such that it complies with relevant client and
industry standards
● The only major pieces of equipment to be located at the new substation are three 138 kV
circuit breakers, one 138/69 kV transformer, and one 69 kV circuit breaker
● The new substation should have a ring bus configuration

​1.6 Expected End Product and Deliverables

The majority of the deliverables for this project will be in the form of documents and drawings
given as a final package to the client. Along with the documents and drawings, our team will
also be providing studies that are the basis for our design package decisions. In addition, our
team will be providing a 3D model of the completed substation, with the major equipment being
displayed in an easy to view manner.
The first deliverable to the client is the grounding and lightning studies. This deliverable shall be
turned over to the client by November 2​nd​, 2018. The grounding study utilizes software provided
by the client to assist in the design and analysis of the grounding grid. The grounding design will
be reliant on this study and with this study, we will be able to appropriately design a ground grid
that is consistent with IEEE 80 standards and ensures the step and step potential limits and
resistance to remote earth are all within acceptable parameters. The lightning study is an
important piece for designing a substation’s lightning protection in accordance with IEEE
Standard 998-2012. The lightning study will define our calculations used in developing the
layout of the lightning protection, clearly summarize the orientation and protection results for
each grouping of shielding electrodes, summarize the failure rate of the substation, and provide
a recommended configuration of the shielding electrodes which includes the maximum effective
heights of the lightning masts and shield wires.

Our second deliverable to the client is the physical design of the substation, which shall be
turned over by November 30​th​, 2018. The physical design of the substation will include drawings
which show the layout of the whole substation. The physical design will be shown on a plan
view drawing which will include the locations of the following: the substation equipment, control
building, rigid bus, structures, and the perimeter fence. This deliverable will also include section
cuts from the overall plan view, which will show the elevation view of the substation and also
include the Bill of Material call-outs for major equipment shown in the drawing. This deliverable
will be designed based on the most economical option, which allows for future expansion and
with the client preferences in mind. The grounding and lightning studies will also be taken into
account and the physical design will be shaped by their specifications.

Our third deliverable is the AC/DC studies, which shall be turned over to the client by March 1​st​,
2019. The AC/DC study will specify the battery sizing that will be needed to power the station
during a station service outage. The study will take into account all of the equipment on the site
and will need to follow the standards laid out in IEEE 485. Our study report will need to include a
summary of the design requirements, definitions of the calculations used, and a summary of the
results and our recommendation for the battery design.

Our fourth and final deliverable is the Controls and the Networks, Integration, and Automation
(NIA) design package, which shall be turned over to the client on April 12​th​, 2019. These
packages will include the final design of the substation’s controls and communications
equipment. The controls package will include several drawings which represent the complete
controls for the substation. These drawings will include a one-line diagram, a 69kV circuit
breaker schematic, a 138kV circuit breaker schematic, a line relay schematic, and the
transformer schematics. Along with these drawings, the package will include the relay panel
layouts for an outside panel vendor to manufacture. The NIA design package will include a
layout for the communications system used at the substation. The package will include: a
communications block diagram and the design of the substation communications equipment
using combinations of serial and Ethernet network equipment, the design of the transport via
fiber to a neighboring substation, quotes for the equipment, an engineering cost estimate, and a
simulation of the network topology using CISCO Packet Tracer.

2. Specifications and Analysis

2.1 Proposed Design

2.1.1 Grounding Design

The first task our team completed was the grounding study and design of the site’s grounding
grid. Several factors were considered during this process. The sections we completed are as
follows:

● Soil Resistivity measurements

● Area of the ground grid
● Ground fault currents
● Ground conductor
● Safety considerations
● Tolerable touch and step voltages
● Design of substation ground system

Soil Resistivity Measurements

Before designing a grounding grid, soil resistivity of a site must be measured. There are various
types of methods that can be used when testing soil resistivity. A Wenner 4-Point Method was
used to determine the resistivity of the soil for this grounding study. The Wenner 4-Point Method
involves placing 4 equally-spaced and in-line electrodes into the ground as shown in Figure 1
below. The two outer electrodes inject current into the soil and the two inner electrodes measure
voltage which is used to measure the soil resistance. The resistivity can then be calculated
based on the soil resistance, the electrode spacing, and the depth of the electrodes based on
Equation 1 below. These parameters were supplied to us by Burns & McDonnell and can be
found in Table 1 below.
Figure 1: Probe locations for Wenner 4-Point Method

Equation 1: Calculating Resistance using Wenner 4-Point Method

 Probe Spacing Resistivity (ohms-m)
(feet) 1 Data Set
1 124.9
1.5 93.5
2 76.6
3 47
5 31.7
7.5 25.3
10 25.9
15 27.7
20 32.9
30 39
45 41.9
60 45.8
Table 1: List of resistivity values for Cyclone Substation

The various resistivity values were then input into RESAP, a tool in CDEGS, to determine a
model for the soil where the substation will be located. This soil model was three layers deep,
having resistivities and thicknesses outlined in Figure 2 and Figure 3 below. Figure 2 shows the
model while Figure 3 shows the output report of the model build. The soil composition,
temperature, and moisture content are all important characteristics that need to be noted during
testing. It was assumed that extreme conditions were considered when the Wenner 4-Point
Method was conducted and the resistivity values reflect those extreme conditions.

Figure 2: RESAP Model for Cyclone Substation

Figure 3: Layer Characteristics of Soil Model for Cyclone Substation

In Figure 3 above, we can see the different layers of soil and how the resistivity and thickness
differs in each. The soil model is created using the data collected during soil resistivity testing in
the field. The model is used to determine at what level the soil has the least resistance. This is
important because multiple design factors come from this model, including te depth of the grid
and length of ground rods. The path in which current travels is that of least resistance to ground
which can be seen in Figure 4 below. Ground is referred to as a zero potential point, in a lot of
cases, the Earth. We use the soil model to decide which layer of soil we want to direct the fault
current to. In this case, we can see that layer 2 has the smallest resistance. In our design then,
we placed the ground grid 1.5 feet below the surface and used 10 foot ground rods, placed
vertically from the grid, to reach a depth of 11.5 feet, ending within the limits of layer 2. This
approach works in the following order: a fault current enters the substation through a tall mast,
the fault current takes the path of least resistance to a zero potential-running down the mast,
into the ground grid, and through the ground rods. Once the current flows through the ground
grid and reaches the soil, it travels through the Earth eventually dissipating.
Figure 4: Path of Least Resistance in a Substation

Area of the ground grid

It is generally advisable to design the area of the ground grid to be as large as possible to
ensure personnel at or near the substation is safe; however, cost optimizations must be
considered. Our site is rectangular in shape with outer dimensions of 400 ft. x 400 ft. This size
was given to us in our design specifications to ensure that all equipment will fit and there will be
room for future expansion. To determine the grid spacing, we performed an iterative process
where we started with 30 foot spacings of copper, as recommended by our client to get a
baseline for our design, running horizontally and vertically inside the perimeter of the grid and
increased the spacing of the grid by 10 feet each time until we found the largest spacing that still
maintained safe touch and step potentials. We found the largest spacing while maintaining safe
touch and step potential was 70 feet in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The larger
spacings require less copper runs and rods to be used in the implementation of the design. This
lessens the amount of equipment in the bill of materials, ultimately decreasing the cost of the
package.

Ground fault currents

When determining the ground fault current that will be used in the design, worst case scenario is
always assumed to ensure that no matter what personnel will always remain safe. In the case of
a substation the worst fault current that could occur is if there was a fault directly applied to the
transformer. Based on typical industry values and from Burns and McDonnell experience, the
maximum single phase grid current during fault conditions has been determined to be 21kA.
Ground conductor
In designing a grounding system, the minimum conductor sizing must be calculated to ensure
the conductor will be able to withstand the maximum fault current. This minimum conductor size
was found using Equation 2 below found in IEEE 80-2013. The value for K can be found in
Table 2 below. We will be using copper, annealed soft-drawn material and therefore the value
for K is assumed to be 7. The fault current I and clearing time have been given to us by Burns
and McDonnell to be 21kA and 0.5 seconds, respectively. When this calculation is performed, a
value of 103.945 is obtained. While remaining extremely conservative, we chose to use 4/0
conductor sizing based on this calculation to ensure the conductor could withstand the
maximum fault current.

Equation 2: Calculation for determining size of grounding conductors

Table 2: Constants for the material at various values of fusing temperature

Safety considerations
The purpose of a ground grid is to protect anyone in the vicinity of the substation from electric
shock and to reduce possible overvoltages that can cause damage to substation equipment.
IEEE Standard 80 outlines the specific permissible levels for step and touch potential voltages.
These safety requirements are based off of multiple characteristics provided by the client,
including the maximum fault current, maximum fault clearing time, average body mass, and
surface layer thickness and resistivity.

When fault current flows through above-ground equipment at a substation, a ground grid
provides a path to ground so that the fault current dissipates into the earth rather than
continuously flowing through the above-ground equipment, exposing everyone in the vicinity of
the substation to the risk of electric shock and potentially damaging that substation equipment.
Some considerations need to be taken into account when developing a ground grid design,
including the substation size and equipment layout. All major substation equipment as well as
the fence surrounding the substation are tied to the grounding system.

Figure 5 below outlines the maximum step and touch voltages that are considered safe in the
Cyclone Substation. From this figure we see the safe touch voltage to be 672 volts and the safe
step voltage to be 2219.9 volts. These values are based on the amount of current, the fault
clearing time and the surface layer added. We added a surface layer of 4 inches with 3000
ohm-m resistivity which is the resistivity value for that of crushed rock.

Figure 5: Safety Thresholds for Cyclone Substation

Design of substation ground system

After all the data is collected, the soil model is created, and all the client’s specifications have
been made, the grounding system can be designed. The client provided us with various
constraints to take into account when designing the grid. Burns & McDonnell provided us with a
Substation Design Guide to follow in order to adhere to their standard procedure in ground grid
design. This design included 16 steps to produce a functional design. Although this design
guide would lead the user to produce a functional design, it does not guarantee the design
meets all safety criteria and site specific constraints.

Specifications that were provided to use by Burns & McDonnell to take into account when
designing the grounding system include the following:
● The site shall be 400 ft. by 400 ft.
● The ground grid should be set 18 inches below the surface of the ground
● The grounding system shall use 4/0 stranded copper offset by 3 feet outside the
parameter of the fence.
● Conductor sizing based on calculation
● Optimize the grounding system to use the least amount of material while still
guaranteeing a safe environment.

2.1.2 Physical Design

The second task our team completed was the design of the layout and elevation views of our
yard. The sections we completed are as follows.
I. Development of the plan-view
II. Elevation A-A
III. Elevation B-B
IV. Lightning protection

Development of the plan-view

There were many factors that played into the design of the plan-view. They are as follows:
i. Bus sizing
ii. Placement of all major equipment
iii. Termination tower placement for 138/69 kV yards
iv. Orientation of the substation
v. Future expansion of the 138 kV yard

Bus sizing

To begin the design, we needed to understand the different bus sizing of the high and low
side of the yard. Industry standard indicates that the 138 kV high-side of the yard requires
rigid bus of 4” Schedule 80. Industry standard also indicates that the 69 kV low-side of the
 yard requires rigid bus of 3” Schedule 40. Our client provided us with CAD drawings of each
major component we will be using for our design, with the bus sizing complete, we were able
to modify the spacing between each phase of each piece of equipment to reflect industry
standard. This affected our design by ensuring that we had the correct conductor size and
that we minimized the amount of bus that we used, because with less bus, the cost of the
project decreases.

Placement of all major equipment

In our Project Scope document provided to us by our client, the client highlighted that this
substation will be a 138 kV three-breaker ring bus with a 138/69 kV transformer (XFMR1)
and a single 69 kV line exit with breaker. We will also be designing this substation for future
expansion to a breaker-and-a-half arrangement. This section had the biggest impact on our
overall design. We were required to place the transformer in a centralized location with the
breakers on either side of it. We had to ensure that the high side breakers were allocated
much more space than the low-side breaker, because of the general design of a ring bus.
The equipment all had to be spaced out with respect to industry clearances and fall within
IEEE standards. For example, on the high side, the phases were required to be 8 feet apart
and 6 feet apart on the low side.

Another significant consideration was the placement of the control building. We needed to
keep the control building mainly centralized, as all of the equipment has cable runs that
need to connect to the control building and having it centralized reduces the amount of wire
that needs to be run and in turn reduces the cost. The control building was required to be a
minimum of 60 feet from the Transformer, though, because the transformer can cause the
most damage if it fails and the control building needs to stay operational, even when the
transformer fails.

In accordance with the location of the control building and the cable runs, all of the major
equipment that have cable runs back to the control building should be oriented so that the
electrical boxes on the equipment are on the side that is closest to the cable run through
which goes to the control house. Typically this cable trough is designed so that the control
building is connected to all of the major equipment in the yard in the most optimal way.

Most of our design for the placement of major equipment was based off of examples
provided by Burns and McDonnell and from their comments on our preliminary designs.
These examples were from previous projects that were successfully built and designed by
Burns and McDonnell. These examples gave us a better understanding for the work
required to be done by our team.

Termination Tower Placement for the 138/69 kV Yards

In our design, we had to account for the termination tower placement. The termination
towers are the structures that receive the outside transmission lines into the substation and
transfer the lines into the buses in the substation. The two termination towers on both the
 138 kV and the 69 kV are H-Frames, which can be seen below in Figure 6. The devices are
also the location for where our lightning masts are located. The H-Frames need to be
located so that the outside lines can easily be routed to them. These H-Frames are very big
and need significantly sized foundations to bear the load of being dead end structures. That
means that there needs to be significant space surrounding the H-Frame, so that the
foundations can be constructed and they don’t affect the place of other equipment. We
decided to place the H-Frames close to the fences so that the outside lines are not going
overtop of any major equipment and so the outside lines don’t have to be rerouted very far.

Figure 6: Termination Towers with H-Frames

Orientation of the Substation

Along with the placement of the H-Frames, the orientation of the substation needs to be
considered. The substation should be oriented so the lines to Des-Moines comes out of the
the low side breaker and the lines to Cedar Falls comes out of the high side breaker. This
will affect where the H-frames are located and which side of the substation will be the low
side and which side will be the high side. For our design, we decided that the best way to
design this would be to place the low side breaker near the south end of the substation and
place the high side breaker near the north end of the substation.

Future expansion of the 138 kV yard

We had to keep in mind that we were also allocating space for an expansion to the ring bus
to make it into a breaker-and-a-half arrangement, which essentially adds another bay of 3
breakers and will take up a significant amount of space. These breakers will be added in a
 future expansion but will need to be accounted for in our current design. To do this, we just
added the bay of breakers, but had them dashed so that our client knows that they are not
part of the current design and will be implemented at a later date.

2.1.3 Lightning Protection Design

The empirical curves method was employed in order to determine the suggested lightning
protection design for Cyclone Substation. Though there are other methods of determining
the lightning protection design for a substation, Burns and McDonnell instructed our team to
employ the empirical curves method.

The primary goal was to determine the least amount of lightning protection equipment that
could be configured such that all critical substation equipment would be within some zone of
protection, shielding that substation equipment from lightning strokes and providing the
substation with adequate lightning protection per IEEE standards.

First, the circular zones of protection associated with the shielding masts—both existing
masts and masts that should be installed to protect the equipment outside of the zones of
protection associated with existing masts—were determined. Then, the interactions between
those zones were modeled; this zones-of-protection-interactions modeling slightly reduced
the total number of lightning masts needed to ensure that all critical substation equipment
would be within some zone of protection.

The circular zones of protection associated with the shielding masts were calculated based
on data from IEEE Standard 998-2012. First, a ​d/h​ ratio was determined for each mast. ​d
represents the height of the tallest equipment that needed to be protected by any given
mast. ​h ​represents the height of a given lightning mast. The heights of the lightning masts on
top of the H-frame termination towers were known based on the elevation drawings. ​h
values for the new lightning masts were estimated and adjusted as needed.

As shown in Figure 7, based on the .1% exposure curve, an ​x/h ​ratio could be determined
based on the associated ​d/h r​ atio. Once this ​x/h ​ratio was known, the known ​h ​value could
be substituted into the denominator of ​x/h ​and that could be set equal to the ratio value in
order to solve for ​x,​ the radius of the zone of protection for a given lightning mast.
Figure 7: Exposure Curve to Determine X/H

Once ​x ​values for each mast were determined and zones of protection could be estimated,
the lightning protection design could be drafted in AutoCAD. The initial lightning protection
design is shown below.
Figure 8: Initial Lightning Protection Design

However, accounting for the interactions between zones of protection made it possible to
eliminate one lightning mast while still protecting all critical substation equipment.

If zones of protection are certain distances away from each other, there is no interaction
between them. These distances can be calculated based on data from IEEE Standard
998-2012. Based on the ​d/h r​ atio of a given lightning mast and the .1% exposure curve, an
s/h ​ratio could be determined based on the associated ​d/h ​ratio. Once this ​s/h ​ratio was
known, the known ​h v​ alue could be substituted into the denominator of ​s/h ​and that could be
set equal to the ratio value in order to solve for ​s​, the furthest apart two zones of protection
can be while still interacting with each other.
Figure 9: Exposure Curve to Determine S/H

After ​accounting for the interactions between zones of protection and eliminating one
lightning mast the optimized lightning protection design shown below could be drafted in
AutoCAD.

Figure 10: Optimized Lightning Protection Design

2.2 Design Analysis
2.2.1 Grounding Design
The process of designing a grounding system is an iterative process. With each step, you either
accept the outcome, or make adjustments to better fit the needs of the client. We want to ensure
that our design is created with the highest level of accuracy as well as optimize our design to
keep the cost down for our client. The initial design created will accommodated all the criteria
set by the client and passed all necessary tests. Because this design is created conservatively
to ensure it surpasses the required level for safety. Following, we will to go back to the design
process and use fewer materials and copper rods. This process will be repeated until a grid
design that meets all the criteria, safety requirements, and a decreased cost for our client is
reached.
This optimization process takes an increased amount of time; however, the trade offs are
satisfying to the client. Below, we list the trade offs to our grounding design process and what it
means for our client.

Proposed design strengths:

● Cost efficient
● Considered future additions
● Ensures the safety of individuals in the event of a fault
Proposed design weaknesses:
● Trial and error process
● More time consuming

2.2.2 Physical Design

The process of designing the physical layout of the yard requires the designer to complete an
initial draft of the yard and submit the drawing to another member of a team to review the work.
Then after the review was complete and the necessary changes had been made, we then
submit the drawing to the client. During this process, our client acted as another member of our
team, giving us comments regarding what we needed to change. This process is essential for
the success of designing a substation because all other subsequent drawings will be based off
of the layout.

After we had been given the approval from our client, we were then allowed to start drafting the
elevation view’s A-A and B-B. Again, the process of drafting was exactly the same as before,
except coordinating between different drawings. These elevation views show a profile of a major
part of our substation. These drawings require precise placement of each major piece of
equipment. Once the placement had been made, then we were able to work on the heights of
each bus section, whether it be strain bus, or rigid bus. Below are two screenshots highlighting
the difference between a strain bus and a rigid bus from our layout and our elevation drawings.

Figure 11 & Figure 12: Plan View and Elevation View of Rigid and Strain Bus

The left image is from our plan-view and the right is from elevation view A-A. The difference
between a strain bus and a rigid bus is the strain bus is a bus structure comprised of flexible
conductors, and a rigid bus is a non-flexible bus structure.

Once we had approval of our elevation views, we were then able to draft the lightning protection
overlay of the substations plan-view. The lightning protection overlay comes last in our drafting
process because we need to have all dimensions between each major equipment final. The
overlay position is decided on the location of lighting masts. Lightning masts are provided on
each H-Frame termination structure which is seen exiting both the 138 kV and the 69 kV yard.
To save money on the cost of each lightning mast, we determined we would place two
additional lightning masts, one next to the 138/69 kV transformer, and the other between two of
the 138 kV breakers on the ring bus. After we had covered all necessary equipment, we needed
to show how each lighting mast would react with the other lighting masts to create a zone of
protection for our equipment.

Proposed design strengths:

● Accounting for future expansion of the yard
● Protecting all necessary equipment from lighting strikes
● Protecting all necessary equipment from current surges and arcs
● Accounting for spacing of each phase and each piece of equipment to allow any repairs
to be completed with the safety of the worker in mind
● Cost efficient
Proposed design weaknesses:
● Time consuming
● Inability for additional members to work on drawings simultaneously

3 Testing and Implementation

3.1 Interface Specifications
Our project will primarily have physical components that do not require coding or software
provided by our team. One component of our project that will require hardware and software
interfacing is the design of the communications systems. The communications systems will run
via Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and Real-time Automation Controllers (RTACs) and an
MPLS network. The RTU will need to be configured in order to run properly, but the
configurations is not within our scope and therefore will be provided by our client.

There will be several relays that will be installed during our project and those relays will need to
be routed back to the RTACs, where the data is aggregated. These RTACs have serial ports on
the units and will use serial connections to the relays to gather the needed information about the
system. The RTACs will then be connected to the RTU. The RTU will be the human interface
system with the system. This RTU will send data to other substations surrounding it and to
control centers via a router that is connected to the MPLS network via ethernet cables. This
RTU unit has the ability to trip the breakers and will need to be programmed with the SCADA
point list, which is provided by our client.

The RTU will have the ability to be both remotely accessed and assessed on site. The RTU will
be programmed to work with the client’s current network and all the programming and code
needed will be provided and uploaded by the client. There will be several security measures on
the devices to ensure that the devices cannot be accessed by unregistered and unwanted
users. Again, these security measures will be programmed by the client.

3.2 Hardware and software

Throughout the design of a substation, multiple software programs are used to calculate critical
values to remain in agreement with IEEE standards. For our project, we will be performing
multiple studies. These studies require handwritten calculations to be made, and design criteria
will be based off of these calculated values. After the handwritten calculations are done, the
values can be entered into software that determines specifications of equipment and regulates if
the proposed design aligns with the written standards.
3.2.1 Grounding Design
CDEGS is the software the design team will use in the grounding system design process.
CDEGS is a grounding and electromagnetic analysis software package. The acronym stands for
Current Distribution, Electromagnetic interference, Grounding and Soil structure analysis. This
integrated set of software tools is designed to accurately analyze electric networks for industry.
IEEE standard values and calculations are pre programmed into the software, and data values
that are site-specific are entered into the program by the user.

The data collected during soil resistivity testing is entered into the RESAP program. Correctly
interpreted soil structures are essential for the analysis of grounding systems. RESAP is used to
compare field data collected to the resistivities produced in different soil models. This program
automatically determines the soil structure of the site, providing accurate representation of the
soil and electric surface response values.

The program used to test an initial ground grid design is MALZ. A ground grid design is
imported into the program and a test plot is set over the grounding system. MALZ analyzes the
frequency domain performance of the buried conductor network and outputs multiple values that
are then compared to IEEE standards and safety considerations to determine is the grounding
system provides a safe environment.

3.2.2 Physical Design

The design of our substation will be done using AutoCAD. AutoCAD is a computer aided design
software that allows the user to draft engineering drawings. All drafting will be done using
AutoCAD, while each review of each draft will be completed using Adobe Acrobat. Adobe is a
PDF software that allows the user to create, edit and comment on the document.

One important feature of AutoCAD that will be imperative in our drafting process is the ability to
insert a title block and the feature of clouding different parts of the drawing. The title block
feature is important because it allows the user to track the each revision of the drawing along
with allowing the drafter to comment on what they have changed. The clouding feature is
perhaps the most important feature because it will created a cloud around a user defined region
allowing the individual reviewing the drawing to view exactly what was changed. It limits
confusion and time while reviewing the work.

3.2.3 Lightning Protection Design

Another important study that our project requires is a lightning study. Like the grounding study,
the lightning study observes the substation layout in regards to ensuring the safety of the
substation equipment. The empirical curves method was used as the approach in our study.
Next semester, Burns and McDonnell will supply us with an intra-company-developed Microsoft
Excel program that is used by their employees to confirm the results found through by-hand
calculations. A simple explanation of the program’s main task is to ensure that there are enough
masts and/or shielding wires in place to ensure that if lightning strikes the substation, the strike
will hit the highest point/s within the substation, absorbing the shock and dissipating it into the
earth, as opposed to the lightning striking the expensive equipment.

3.3 Functional Testing

3.3.1 Grounding Design

An initial ground grid is designed prior to soil testing and running any tests in CDEGS. This
initial design is based off of client templates and imported into the MALZ tool in CDEGS. After
soil resistivity testing is done and data is entered into the RESAP tool in CDEGS to build a soil
model, MALZ uses the data from the soil model and partners it with the initial design. Various
calculations are run inside the program and multiple tests to ensure a safe environment for
those who find themselves within the vicinity of the substation.

This program takes the soil model and partners it with the ground grid design and runs various
tests to ensure a safe environment for those who find themselves within the area of a
substation. The main objective of a grounding study is to design a ground grid that efficiently
absorbs the highest possible fault current in the substation into the Earth, to ensure no person
inside, or three feet surrounding, the substation is in harm's way. The MALZ tool outputs a
safety report, showing the areas in which more copper needs to be added to the ground grid to
absorb the fault current, and which areas are sufficiently accounted for. The passing rates in
MALZ are based upon IEEE standards and once a ground grid is modified to meet these
standards, the test passes and the grid design is accepted into use.

3.3.2 Physical Design

Functional testing for the physical design of the yard requires coordinating between each
drawing simultaneously. This is necessary due to the number of checks associated with the
progression from the draft, to the final product. The client provided us with a major equipment
list that is to be used in the design of the substation. Both our client and a team member uses
this equipment list when reviewing the drawing to account for all equipment used in the drafting
process and to ensure that no necessary equipment is added.

Additional testing was done by performing peer quality review checks. We would have a group
member that was not working on the physical design look over and ensure that all of the
equipment needed is included and that the comments from the clients were all resolved. The
reviewer would then bring up any results that did not conform to standards provided in IEEE
standards and standards that the client provided. After the comments were reviewed by both the
peer reviewer and original drafter, then the final version was sent to the client and any final
comments from the client were incorporated and rechecked by both the peer reviewer and the
original drafter.
3.4 Non-Functional Testing
Non-functional testing is not required in order to complete our project. Though we utilized
CDEGS to perform the grounding study and will utilize Microsoft Excel to perform the lightning
study, this software was provided to us by our client and performing tests to determine how that
software operates is outside the scope of our project.

3.5 Process

3.5.1 Grounding Design

The grounding study and design of the site’s grounding grid each had their own unique checks
and balances. The main test is to plug the design into the CDEGS program to ensure that the
maximum voltage is below the minimum threshold and the impedance of the grounding system
is below the industry standards of 2 ohms.

Soil Resistivity Measurements

The soil resistivity measurements were given to us by Burns and McDonnell, so it required no
testing on our part. This is a theoretical design and will not actually be built, so they gave us
numbers that were similar to past projects they had completed in the midwest. This means that
if we were to actually build the substation that we are designing and went and performed the
Wenner 4-Point Method in the field, we would obtain similar resistivity values.

Area of the ground grid

The area of the ground grid is determined by the size of the site. Multiple factors go into the
sizing of the site and in turn, the area of the substation. Those factors include the number of
lines entering/exiting the substation, equipment ratings, voltage levels, and land grading. Our
client provided the size of the site would be 400 ft by 400 ft. We used this to design a ground
grid that would run underneath the surface of the substation and extend to the parameter of the
fence. Our initial grid design would cover a 400 ft. by 400 ft. area, with spacing measurements
of 30 ft. by 30 ft. between conductor runs. After multiple iterations of the design process and
testing, cost was taken into account and we optimized the grounding system to extend out to the
400 ft. by 400 ft. parameter with spacings of 70 ft. by 70 ft. between conductor runs.

Ground fault currents

The maximum ground fault current is decided based on various possible fault currents. A
simulation taking into account the voltage levels entering and exiting the substation, the ratings
of the equipment, and the overall system is ran. This simulation outputs multiple possible fault
currents. The maximum fault current is decided based on the clients specifications. Because of
the expense and complexity of this simulation, Burns & McDonnell provided us with the
maximum fault current that would be taken into account in the design of Cyclone Substation.
Ground conductor
When designing a grounding system, conductor sizing and material must be calculated and
optimized. Most grounding systems use copper or copper-clad steel. The ground conductor was
sized using Equation 9.10. The parameters needed to complete the calculation were in part
supplied by Burns & McDonnell and IEEE 80 standard. Upon finishing the ground conductor
calculations, we contacted our client who confirmed we had calculated the correct conductor
size.

Safety considerations
When performing a grounding study, safety considerations defined by IEEE 80 standard must
be met. The standard defines tolerable limits of body currents, shock situations, and touch and
step voltages. The ground grid is designed to take on the maximum fault current to ensure those
in the vicinity of the substation are in a safe environment. The grounding system is designed to
cover the area of the substation, as well as extend 3 ft. outside the parameter of the fence. The
ground grid is tied into each piece of equipment above ground to provide a path to the
grounding system. These safety conditions were tested during our CDEGS simulation.

Under ​Section 2.2.1 Design Analysis​​ we discussed about the importance of efficiency when
designing the substation. One way to efficiently design the ground grid is with the CDEGS
software. We found this to be a much more efficient solution instead of computing it all by hand.
We will keep this in mind when moving forward with the rest of our design elements. Computer
software proves to be much more cost efficient and the ability to redesign one component
without having to recalculate everything.

Flow Diagram of the Process

The figure below outlines the process for designing a ground grid. This process was based off
the process for designing a ground grid found in IEEE 80-2013. We used a similar process
outlined in IEEE 80 to ensure our design met industry standards and was accurate.

Figure 13: Flow Diagram for Grounding Design

3.5.2 Physical Design
The physical design had several checks and balances. Most of the checks and balances were
done through quality review of the designs and how to best optimize the substation yard layout.
The checks were done both by a peer and a qualified lead engineer from Burns and McDonnell.

Bus Sizing
The bus sizing was very straight forward as there are industry standards for the differing voltage
levels for which conductors to use for the rigid bus. These industry standards were
communicated to us from our clients, so we were not required to run any calculations for it. The
selected bus from our client makes a lot of sense, as it is rated for our expected currents and
will be able to handle the additional current in case of a fault.

Placement of All Major Equipment

This section was the most tasking for the physical design of the substation. The equipment was
preliminarily placed in the most logical order with the transformer in the middle of the substation
and the low-side breaker placed near the line to Des Moines and the high-side breakers near
the line to Cedar Falls. To design this we followed the examples given to us by Burns and
McDonnell and constantly communicated with the client regarding our design and how best to
modify it. The control house was also placed centrally to optimize the lengths of the cable runs
from the equipment in the yard. The main drafter completed the design in AutoCAD and then
another member reviewed the design before any questions were brought up to the client. The
testing here was actually just reviewing the design, as we are not able to test this design until
the design is built and we are just designing it and not building it.

Termination Tower Placement for 138/69 kV Yards

The termination tower placement was a simple thing to complete. The termination towers
needed to be placed in close proximity to the fences, next to the breakers, and close to the line
directions from Des Moines and Cedar Falls. The termination towers also included the lightning
masts, so the protection of the transformer was taken into consideration when placing these.
The client verified that the placement of the termination towers was within their standards and
sufficiently spaced.

Orientation of the Substation

The orientation of the substation was pretty much incorporated into the placement of the
termination towers. The lines to Cedar Fall and Des Moines dictated where termination towers
were placed and then to optimize that the breakers needed to be placed close by. This process
was reviewed by another group member other than the drafter and finally approved by the client
as well.
Future Expansion of the 138 kV Yard
This consideration was a major task, as we needed to incorporate a massive amount of space
for a future expansion. The future expansion would increase the reliability and flexibility of the
substation. Going from a ring bus to a breaker-and-a-half formation would make it so that each
breaker can be separately isolated and the substation will still be fully energized. That means
that if maintenance is needed then the substation does not need to go out of service which is
very economical for the client. To incorporate this expansion into our design we added another
bay of breakers and verified with the client that the design was correct and no errors were
included in the final design.
Figure 14: Flow Diagram for Physical Design
3.5.3 Lightning Protection Design

The lightning protection study was performed by a trial and error method. Once heights were
chosen for new lightning masts and the radii of the zones of protection were determined, the
zones of protection were drafted in AutoCAD. If the zones of protection or the interactions
between those zones did not cover all critical substation equipment, the heights of the new
lightning masts had to be increased in order to increase the radii of the zones of protection.

3.6 Results

3.6.1 Grounding Design

As mentioned above, an iterative process was performed to optimize the grid spacing for the
grounding design. We started with a grid spacing of 30 feet and increased by 10 feet each
iteration. Below are the results for 50 feet spacing, 70 feet spacing and 80 feet spacing. Since
we performed many iterations and 50 feet spacing was still passing, we chose to only show the
results for 50 feet spacing since it is a mid point between the starting point and the optimized
design.

Optimization
The figures below show the results for touch and step voltage test with 50 feet spacing. When
evaluating results from CDEGS, there must be no colors on the grid to consider it a passing
study. The two figures below are all white on the grid and the maximum values in the legend are
less than the minimum threshold, therefore they are passing.

Figure 15: Touch Voltage Results with 50’x50’ spacing

Figure 16: Step Voltage Results with 50’x50’ spacing

Failure
The figures below show the results from studies that were considered failures. When we first
began the iteration process, we needed to determine if a surface layer would be necessary. We
ran the study with 30 feet spacing, which is fairly conservative, and no surface layer and we had
areas on the grid that were above the minimum threshold (colors were seen on the grid). This
can be seen in Figure XX This helped us determine that a surface layer would be necessary for
the ground grid to pass. When performing the iterative process, we had to increase the spacing
by 10 feet each time until the study was no longer passing. Figure XX shows 80 feet spacing
with a surface layer, which is not passing. This helped us determine that 70 feet spacing was as
large as we could increase the spacing while still obtaining a passing study.
Figure 17: Touch Potential Results with 30’x30’ Spacing Without Crushed Rock Layer

Figure 18: Touch Potential Results with 80’x80’ Spacing

Success
We determined the largest spacing that could still pass was 70 feet. In the figures below, the
maximum voltage is below the minimum threshold. For the touch voltage, the maximum voltage
is only 28 volts lower than the minimum so therefore we determined we could not increase the
spacing any larger. This design is optimized considering costs and materials and is the design
that will be submitted to the client.
Figure 19: Touch Voltage Results for 70’x70’ Spacing

Figure 20: Step Voltage Results for 70’x70’ Spacing

The final check to determine if the design is acceptable is to ensure that the impedance of the
grounding system is below the industry standard of 2 ohms. In figure 21 below, it can be seen
that the impedance of the grounding system is 0.1921246 ohms. Since this value is much lower
than 2 ohms, we can determine the grounding design is acceptable.

Figure 21: Impedance of Grounding System

What we Learned
We learned that not every first simulation is going to yield the passing results we strive for. We
need to be patient when receiving a failed simulation report and step back and understand why
it failed. Moving forward, we will be more meticulous before running simulations on work we are
not confident with. Take time to comb through each component and run various QC checks on
our work to ensure that we do not have a costly mistake that would set us back.

Implementation Issues and Challenges

As we begin to progress with each phase of our project, as engineers, we try and do it as
efficiently as possible. Implementing a ground grid for a substation of this size should not be too
overly conservative. We will continue to struggle with trying to minimize elements such as the
ground grid to try and save cost and time spent.

3.6.2 Physical Design

The drafting process for the physical design of our yard began by looking at example drawings
from another substation provided to us by our client. Our client also provided us with topical
cutouts of each major piece of equipment needed for the design of the plan-view along with the
corresponding profile views for the equipment so we could draft the elevation views.

Design of the plan-view

The design of our yard (plan-view) began by gathering the information needed to satisfy all
requirements set by our client. The information included: equipment needed, bus sizing for both
138 kV and 69 kV yards, orientation of the yard, ring bus configurations, future expansion
considerations, and gathering ground grid information to understand design constraints.

After we had all of the information needed, we began the drafting process of the yard. To start,
we created a boundary based off of the ground grid. This provided us with an area where we
could begin to place equipment. The equipment list necessary is explained in the table below.
SECTION EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION

TRANSFORMER 138/69 kV 3-phase power transformer

transformer

Strain bus Needed to connect the transformer to the 69

kV
and 138 kV buses

69 kV breaker Used for the transformer low-side

Disconnect switch Required for breaker to interrupt or open an

electrical circuit for purposes of inspection and
maintenance

CCVTs Coupling Capacitor Voltage Transformers (one

per phase)

Bus support Needed to support the stretch of bus between

equipment

H-Frame Terminate the transformer and distribute

69 KV YARD termination tower energy to 69 kV line

Rigid Bus Used to connect the rigid bus to the termination

tower

Strain Bus Acts as a path from the transformer, to the

breaker, to the termination tower, and to the
CCVTs

138 kV breaker Used for the transformer high-side

Disconnect switch Required for breaker to interrupt or open an

electrical circuit for purposes of inspection and
maintenance

CCVTs Coupling Capacitor Voltage Transformers (one

per phase per breaker)

Transition Needed to redirect the bus location and to

Structure account for the change in height between the
high-side and the low-side
 Rigid Bus Used in the connection between the circuit
breaker and the disconnect switch

Strain Bus Acts as a path from the transformer, to the

138 KV YARD breaker, to the termination tower, and to the
CCVTs

H-Frame Terminate the transformer and distribute

termination tower energy to 138 kV line

Table 3: Equipment List

Now we are able to place the equipment to accommodate the design constraints and
requirements from our client.

First draft of plan-view

Failures
The first draft of the plan-view did not pass the requirements set forth by our client, as expected.
We did not account for the correct phase spacing between the 69 kV and 138 kV yard. We also
added equipment that was not necessary in the 138 kV yard. There were too many bus
structures. The distance between equipment also needed to be minimized to reduce costs. We
added too many CCVT’s on the 138 kV yard and we failed to add any CCVT’s on the 69 kV
yard. And we failed to orient the layout correctly to accommodate for the destinations of both
138 kV and 69 kV lines. The first draft of our substation plan-view is shown below.
First draft of plan-view

Figure 22: First Draft of Plan-View

Approved design of plan-view

Success
After making the necessary changes to the design, our client approved the design of our
substation. Below is a table highlighting the changes made.
FIRST DRAFT APPROVED DESIGN

Incorrect phase spacing of 69 kV yard Decreased phase spacing to reflect the

industry standard of 5” Schedule 40

Incorrect phase spacing of 138 kV yard Increased phase spacing to reflect industry
standard of 8” Schedule 80

Extra equipment on the 138 kV ring bus Removed extra equipment on 138 kV ring
bus configuration to match client demands

Unnecessary bus structures Removed unnecessary bus structures to

reflect client demand of bus structure every
30 feet

Distance between equipment too long Decreased distances between equipment to

conserve space and account for future
expansion

Too many CCVT’s on 138 kV yard Removed unnecessary CCVT’s on 138 kV

side

No CCVT’s on 69 kV ard Added CCVT’s to the 69 kV side

Incorrect orientation of substation Accounted for the position of termination

tower to reflect the incoming and outgoing
lines of the substation

Table 4: Changes Made to Plan View

Approved plan-view

Figure 23: Approved Plan View

Design of elevation views A-A, B-B

The elevation views were drafted in accordance with the plan-view. As previously stated, you
needed to coordinate between the plan-view and each elevation because of the location of each
piece of equipment along with determining the correct heights of each bus. The information
gathering step was not necessary during this step. What each elevation view will include can be
visible on the plan-view.

Draft of elevation views A-A & B-B

Failure
As expected, the first draft of our elevation views were not approved by our client. But we only
had small issues. The spacing of each piece of equipment was approved, but we did not
account for the difference in heights between busses. We needed to add surge arrestors on all
line positions to ground faults that may travel over the line. These should be the first piece of
equipment that a line hits when it enters the substation.

First Draft of elevation A-A

Figure 24: First Draft of Elevation A-A

First draft of elevation B-B

Figure 25: First Draft of Elevation B-B

Approval of elevation views A-A & B-B

Success
After making the necessary changes, both our elevation views were approved by our client. See
the table below for a better understanding of what we changed.

Elevation A-A & B-B

FIRST DRAFT APPROVED ELEVATION A-A

Account for elevation changes Added a transition structure to account for the transition
between the 69 kV bus and the from the 69 kV bus to the 138 kV bus and to account for
138 kV bus the change in height between busses

Add surge arrestors to each line Added surge arrestors after the H-Frame termination
tower
Table 5: Changes Made to Elevation A-A

Approved A-A

Figure 26: Approved Elevation A-A

Approved B-B

Figure 27: Approved Elevation B-B

Design of lighting protection

To go along with the lighting protection report, we also needed to draft a lighting protection
drawing to highlight the zones of protection and to show what equipment would be covered by
lighting masts during a lightning strike. There are lightning masts on each H-Frame termination
structure which is seen exiting both the 138 kV and the 69 kV yard. The design of the protection
is important to understand. The area of protection provided by each lighting mast is highlighted
by a circle which features a hatched area. Everything within the hatched area is covered in case
of a lighting strike.

First draft of lighting protection

Failure
The first draft of our lighting protection overlay was not approved. Our client wanted to increase
each radius of coverage to limit the number of additional masts. He also wanted to show how
each lighting mast zone of protection would interact with other zones of protection, as this
increases the area that can be protected by the same amount of masts.
First draft

Figure 28: First Draft of Lightning Protection

Approval of lighting protection diagram

After making the changes necessary, our client approved the design of our protection. See the
table below to understand the process of how we were able to have an approved drawing.

FIRST DRAFT APPROVED LIGHTING PROTECTION

Increase the radius of each circle Per our clients instruction we changed each
radius to limit the amount of lighting masts

Show zone of protection We drafted the interaction between each

lightning mast to show how each mast
worked with each other.
Table 6: Changes Made to Lightning Protection Diagram
Approved protection diagram

Figure 29: Approved Lightning Protection

4 Closing Material
4.1 Conclusion
For this project, we have done an extensive amount of research on substation design. This
research will allow us to move forward with the design of the substation. So far, we have
completed the grounding design, physical design, and the lightning protection design. Our
grounding design was created using IEEE 80 and was optimized using an iterative process. Our
physical design was completed by determining the equipment needed for the substation and
using previous examples to create a design that follows standards and is functional. The
lightning protection design was created following the completion of the physical design.
Calculations were performed for this study to determine the size of the masts that must be
added to ensure all equipment is safe in the event of lightning. Throughout the entire substation
design, we want to ensure that we keep cost in mind. When completed, our substation will serve
as a means of interconnection between a new wind generation plant being constructed outside
of Ames, IA and the pre-existing transmission system. This substation will raise or lower the
voltage of the electric power flowing into the substation.

4.2 References
Ieeexplore.ieee.org. (2018). ​80-2013 - IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding -
IEEE Standard​. [online] Available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7109078?reload=true
[Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].
Ieeexplore.ieee.org. (2018). ​998-2012 - IEEE Guide for Direct Lightning Stroke Shielding of
Substations - IEEE Standard​. [online] Available at:
https://standards.ieee.org/standard/998-2012.html# [Accessed 02 Dec. 2018].

4.3 Appendices